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I met Michelle many years ago at an independent booksellers' conference. I was a big fan of LIBRARY LION so I let her know that I'd (obviously) very much like to work with her someday. Okay, I may have pestered her a little. Well, the pestering eventually paid off because here is the book! And here's what people are saying:
"Rich with feeling, it’s a warm, gently funny reminder to chase down one’s dreams, rather than waiting for them to appear on the doorstep." Publishers Weekly (STAR)
"A surprising spin on monsters with nicely effective artwork—and heart." Kirkus ReviewsThe official Book Release Party is SATURDAY, MARCH 14th at
CHILDREN'S BOOK WORLD in Haverford, PA! Michelle and I will both be there so here's your chance to get the rare and oh-so-nifty double signed copy!
To celebrate today's release, here are some sketches...
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| cover sketch |
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| Unused title page |
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| Early development sketch |
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| dummy sketch |
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| Monster character design sketch |
And here's a final painting from the book:
Look for more process posts soon. To keep up on all of my book stuff (including upcoming events), check out my
Facebook Author Page!
I'm off and running on the final art for my next graphic novel, SNOW WHITE. I'll try to share sketches and art whenever I come up for air.
Here's a test drawing to show you the mood and style:
(note: I thought I had posted this in December, but something is apparently went wrong.)
And to conclude Monster Week '14, here's some preliminary art from my upcoming picture book, MARILYN'S MONSTER by the great Michelle Knudsen and published by the extraordinary Candlewick Press. Coming to a bookstore near you in MARCH 2015!
HAPPY HALLOWEEN!
Two years ago, I kept a sketchbook devoted entirely to monsters. It was a fun preliminary step to illustrating the picture book
Marilyn's Monster by my good friend
Michelle Knudsen (Candlewick Press, March 2015).
It seems to fitting to post a beastie a day this week. Check back!
It's Deadline Time here in the studio. I'm in the final stretch for my graphic novel and my days (and nights) are filled with paints and layouts and sharpened pencils. I'd call it Crunch Time, but that seems to apply to most of this past year... Anyway, the end is nigh and I am that usual mix of exhilaration and exhaustion.
I will however take a day off this Wednesday to attend the
Annual Silent Auction for independent bookstores at BEA. I promise to work extra hard on Thursday to make up for it. Here's my donation, one of the many preliminary drawings that I've made for my other current project,
Xander's Panda Party, a picture book by the great
Linda Sue Park.
And
here's a Flickr of all of the amazing donations.
And now, back to work.
Dead Lion for Breakfast was Ernie Kovacs' nickname for his early Philadelphia TV show Deadline for Dinner. If you don't know who Kovacs is, set aside a good portion of your day and head to google and youtube. A unique comic genius.
Some preliminary drawings for
I'll Be There by
Ann Stott. It's a book that would make a pretty good Mother's Day Gift, you know.
Just in case you need a gift idea...
One of the vaudeville cameos in my new graphic novel is the great tap dancer Bill Bojangles Robinson. Lots of great clips on you tube.
This summer, I'm hard at work on the art for my next graphic novel,
Around the World (due out in 2011). The first of the three stories in the book that I'm drawing involves the unstoppable Nellie Bly. Above is a picture of the 6x4' bulletin board in my studio (I love that thing).
Heather, the book's amazing designer (she also designed
Storm) made this incredibly useful mini-version of the rough sketches for the story with temporary placement of the dialogue. This way we could all get a sense of how the story was working. As I drew each page, I started marking them with scraps of post-it notes.
Here it is about a week and a half ago... which means that now I've finished drawing the whole Nellie Bly segment. So now I'm painting and finishing all of the pages. When that's done, I'll start on the second of the three stories. Then repeat.
OK, break over...
By: Matt Phelan,
on 12/27/2008
Blog:
Planet Ham
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We tried the idea of having small framed vignettes for Always, but having it full bleed seemed more appropriate... it gave the little guy room to run around and cause trouble. I still like this little sketch, though.
By: Matt Phelan,
on 12/27/2008
Blog:
Planet Ham
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The sketch phase is definitely my favorite part of the process. This is the time for brainstorming and tossing out any ideas you have, just to see what works. At the beginning, I tried having the boy wear this little animal hat for all of the times he is acting less than good. I guess it was a nod to the Lost Boys and Max. Ultimately it seemed to be too much. Less is more. Simplify, simplify.
By: Matt Phelan,
on 12/27/2008
Blog:
Planet Ham
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One of the early ideas for Always was to have a series of spot illustrations for the title, copyright, and dedication pages that showed the boy getting ready for bed. When the book "started", he would be in bed asking his mother if she loved him. What followed would then be a sort of flashback of his day, ending where we began. This seemed unnecessary and possibly confusing, so it was jettisoned in favor of following the boy from when he wakes up until his bedtime.
This was my first idea for the cover of Box Full of Kittens. It was deemed too quiet, I think (as are many of my cover suggestions). To see the final cover, click on the title above.
By: Matt Phelan,
on 12/26/2008
Blog:
Planet Ham
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After the loose thumbnail version of the book is finished, I start working on individual illustrations. Again, I keep the sketches loose but with some essential details. Often I'll jot down notes to myself about each drawing.
ooooh, love the texture in her hair & that impish expression. amore amore...